If your student is considering taking a gap year, you should also read our post on deferring enrollment.

The majority of students move smoothly from high school to college.  College is the normal “next step” in the educational process.  For some students, however, that “next step” just doesn’t seem quite right, at least not just now.  It’s not that they don’t want to go to college, it is just that they may feel the need to do something before entering college.  For these students, a gap year may be the answer.

A gap year, sometimes called a year out, or year off, or bridging year, is a transition year, usually between high school and college, when the student takes time to do something else.  Although it is still the exception in the United States for students to take a gap year, it is a growing trend.  Some programs which target gap year students are seeing as much as 15-20% growth.  The National Association for College Admission Counseling has suggested that the practice of taking a gap year is on the rise.

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Your “almost” college student has been accepted to college.  Congratulations!  That is cause for celebration – and probably some relief.  But your student isn’t sure that beginning college just now is the right thing.  Some students may decide to defer their enrollment for a year (or even two) after they have been accepted.  You may wonder what this means and how to go about it.

A student may decide to defer enrollment for any number of reasons.  They may wish to travel or study abroad, to work to earn money to pay for tuition, to take a year to pursue a sport or hobby.  The student may have health or family issues that need to be addressed, they may decide to take an extra, post-graduate year of study to increase skills or gain maturity, or the student may simply need a break from school in order to recharge and find focus.

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